Following Rivers
by vintage90vinyl
Summary: Imogen is about to start her sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Having recently suffered the loss of her mother, she hopes for a quiet year, life has, however, other plans for her. A story of love, grief and friendship. James/OC
1. I

It was a deceptively cold summer's day, the sun glinting off the cars outside. An owl flew through an open window of a modest cottage located in small village near the coast, not an uncommon occurrence in this wizarding home. The pompous looking owl dropped the letter onto the tabletop and continued out of the open window. The man, who was carefully cooking poached eggs at the aga, abandoned his cooking and began peeling the letter from the envelope. A letter at this time in the morning did not bode well.

"Honey, honey, wake up, Immy." Imogen awakened from her slumber, her vision obscured by the kind face of her father. "Sorry honey, you're going to need to get up and dressed quite quickly, there's an emergency at work and I'll be away for a few days. Ginny's been kind enough to let you and Felix stay with the Potters, I'll be back as soon as possible OK sweetie?" Imogen's face fell as she processed the thought of being away from her father once again this summer.

"Can't we just stay here?" Imogen asked, pleading with her father.

"I really don't feel comfortable with you staying by yourselves, I thought you loved it at the Potters, you and Albus are best friends. You haven't fallen out have you?" She shook her head in response and he continued, "Plus, you'd be staying there for Ginny's birthday on Saturday anyway. " At this, Immy's expression brightened, unlike most, she loved parties, especially Potter parties.

Ginny was standing in front of the stove in the home she shared with her family of five. Her brood were still in bed, but they would be soon be awakened by the smell of food. As she started to cook the eggs she had gathered from the coop outside, she pondered the passing-by of the last twenty years. Her children, now teenagers, were growing up, and she finally understood how her own mother had felt when she and her six elder brothers left home. She dreaded the day when her home would be quiet once more, though of course, at points, she wished that it would be just a little quieter. She wished James, her eldest, would be a little kinder to her younger son, Albus. She wished said son Albus would stop trying to break into the Quidditch shed. She wished her youngest, Lily, wouldn't lie to her so often, though she knew exactly why, having had elder brothers herself, she knew that Weasley blood was stubborn and tenacious. The fact that she knew exactly when her daughter was lying to her was both a blessing and a curse, but revealed when she looked to the left and tucked her hair behind her ears, a trait she had herself until her brother, Ron, drunkenly told her her tell.

A bang and a shriek sounded from upstairs, and Ginny dreaded the prank James had played on a sleeping Albus this time. James appeared at the kitchen door with a cocky grin on his face feigning nonchalance.

"Whatever you've done, James, go set it right," Ginny said threateningly. James had the decency to look sheepish and turned towards the door. A few moments later James reappeared, grabbed a plate, and made for the aromas at the stove. Albus appeared at the door sporting a black eye and an expression of pure anger. Emitting a low growl, he pounced on James, tackling him to the floor. The plate James had been holding crashed on the worktop covering the two boys in eggs and bacon. The two rolled around for a few moments before Ginny cut in.

"Protego!" An invisible shield erupted between the two boys, forcing them backwards.

"Mum!" Albus whined, struggling to get through the shield to James, "Look what he did to me. Make him give me the bruise remover!"

Ginny turned on her eldest son, "James Sirius Potter, apologise, and give me the bruise remover" she ordered, holding her hand out. When James didn't back down from her glare, she pointed her wand at him and exclaimed "Accio Bruise Remover". Ginny performed a cleaning charm on them both before turning to dab the ointment around Albus' eye.

"Sorry Albus, you love me really though little brother." James grinned, ruffling Albus' hair. Though he often liked to play jokes on his little brother, they usually got on well. In response, Albus grabbed the marmite from James' hand and started slathering it over his toast.

They heard the front door slam and footsteps come towards the kitchen.

"Hey guys!" Teddy appeared at the door, and turned to kiss Ginny on the cheek and give the boys a slap on the back.

"How's everyone doing?" Teddy said, taking a bite out of a piece of toast. But before anyone had a chance to reply, the fire flamed green and a willowy, redheaded girl stepped out with a tan holdall strapped to her side.

"Imogen! It's great to have you" Ginny exclaimed, enveloping the girl in a hug. "I spoke to your father earlier, your room's already set up." Ginny smiled, feeling a little sorry for the poor girl. "Isn't Felix with you?"

"He should be on his way," Imogen replied, her voice smothered by Albus who'd just picked her up and twirled her around, pressing her face into his chest. The fire roared again and Felix dusted himself off onto their carpet.

"Hey mate," James mumbled whilst shovelling food down his throat. Felix gave him a disgusted frown whilst Ginny wrapped him in a firm embrace. Felix closed his eyes and breathed in the motherly smell he missed so much, but when Albus gave him a funny look, he let go.

"Come on Immy, dad found this great book on charms I think you'd like." Albus said, dragging his best friend upstairs so they could talk without the watchful eye of his brother. James had been acting very strange for the last couple of months; usually he was loud, jokey and completely tactless. But since June, when he was around Imogen, he would only speak when spoken to, and was often gazing at her as though she were a plimpy on dry land. Albus knew Imogen was beautiful; she had gorgeous Titian hair, a flawless, heart-shaped face and a slender figure. If he weren't already in love with someone else, he definitely would have fallen for her by now. But he shuddered to think what Felix would do if his best friend ever hit on his baby sister, perhaps that was the reason James hadn't made a move yet.

"So how have the past twenty-four hours been since I last saw you?" Albus grinned, pulling her into his bedroom.

"Uneventful," Imogen remarked, "Felix managed to get stuck in our Quidditch goal posts again," She grinned, laughing at the imprinted image of him making wild gestures with his hands for her to save him. "Oh and he had to perform so many warming charms to his feet that he set fire to his sleeping bag. He's been out in that muggle tent for the past six weeks, it's getting a little ridiculous!"

"Why does he think that sleeping in the garden will make him forget about your mum dying?" Albus said, not thinking about whom he was talking to.

Imogen's breath caught and she averted her eyes, "No idea, maybe he thinks he'll feel better if he freezes to death."

Feeling guilty for his insensitivity, Albus folded her hand into his and said "Maybe we should plan some prank for his tent, so that he has to sleep inside the house."

"Haha, that probably wouldn't be the best plan ever, don't you remember the last time I pranked him, he didn't speak to me for a whole two weeks, even when I apologised, and all I did was turn his eyebrows blue."

"Here" Albus presented her with the book, "It's got a whole chapter on the Patronus charm, though I'm not sure it'll be much help if your dad can't help you. It's nothing to be ashamed of you know, loads of of-age wizards can't conjure a corporeal one."

"Well, I don't care, I hate not being able to do something." Imogen said as she plonked herself onto the sofa which sat under the window. She had always been impressed with the Potter manor with its high ceilings, beautiful colour schemes and lavish furnishings, and it was modest given how rich the Potters were. Albus' room seemed especially elegant with its dark red and gold accents, he hadn't even covered it in Quidditch posters, as James' was. On every surface there were several photos, some of which contained Imogen herself, some his girlfriend, Francesca, and the rest were of his family. Imogen settled into Albus' shoulder and began to read.

James was sitting in his father's office. Lounging in the chair that he had seen his father sit in so many times, he pondered what it must be like to be his father. He hadn't found out until he got to school how famous his father was, though of course he and his cousins had been told of all the adventures long before. But his dad had always just been his dad. He worked a lot, loved to fly with him on Sunday afternoons, and always got a haunted look in his eyes whenever anyone mentioned the war.

James wasn't looking for anything in particular, though something belonging to his namesakes was always welcome. He sifted through the top drawer of the desk, not finding much other than a few random bits of parchment, part of a broken mirror, a heavy locket. He started on the drawer to his right and found a bundle of letters addressed to Lily. They looked fairly old, and the ink was smeared in such a way that it looked like tears had fallen upon them. Tying them back up with the ribbon, James put them in his pocket and disappeared off to his room to examine them properly.


	2. II

James was lying in a sea of parchment. Letters written during the first war were scattered all around him. He hadn't really thought about what his father would think if he could see him now, but he wouldn't be back anytime soon anyway, he was hardly even home anymore. James knew he shouldn't resent his father for his job, but he felt like he and his siblings were less important than the auror office. He knew this was an awful thing to think, as he was sure his father did love him really, he just didn't show it very well. One of the things that really got to James, though, was that they had never got to know his paternal grandparents. He knew that obviously it was a lot worse for his father, who had grown up an orphan, but he couldn't help but want to know more about his namesake. So he went on the hunt for some evidence sneaking into his father's office whilst his mother was in the garden, and rifling through some of the drawers before coming across a bundle of letters.

"Bingo!" James muttered to himself, trying to make the desk as tidy as how it had been before he had rummaged through it. Quickly making his way across the floor, he made a final sweep of the room to make sure he had not left any trace of his presence. Having an auror for a father was not the best thing for trying to be stealthy, and his mother was even worse. Stuffing the letters into his pocket, he made his way across the hall and up the stairs towards his bedroom. Once he'd flung himself inside, he flopped himself onto the bed and started to unfurl the parchment. Making himself comfortable by propping up cushions around him and half lying down, he started to read.

_Lilypad,_

_I'm going mad here without you. The house feels so empty even though there are people here all the time. It's not like I know any of them though. Having the Order here is so frustrating, and they keep messing everything up. Every time I go into the living room, furniture has been moved around, and I just wish that they left everything how my parents had it. I know it sounds stupid. I hope you're still coming here for Christmas, I don't know if I can do it without you. The first Christmas without my parents. It still feels kind of surreal. Sirius misses you too, he's started to go a bit berserk with pranking, I think he's trying to keep himself busy, but if I have to be woken up by being hoisted up by the ankle one more time, I'm going to spellotape him to the ceiling! Let me know about your Christmas plans, merlin knows it'll be more cheerful here than with your awful sister, and that's saying something._

_Love, James _

James could feel his heart welling up at the thought of his grandfather, but vowed to look up the spell for hoisting people by the ankle; it could prove a useful prank.

_James_

_It sounds like you're having a really rough time with Sirius, haha! My parents have invited you over for Christmas day, and of course Sirius is invited too! I thought maybe I could come to yours on Christmas Eve and then we could make our way to mine the next day. Petunia's having her fiancé over for lunch so my parents want it to be a big family occasion. I hope that's alright. I'd rather be alone with you. But I want to keep my parents happy too. _

_Love, Lily_

James laid his head back against the pillow, letting his mind wander to thoughts of his grandparents.

"Felix, can you please sit still," Imogen urged, feeling her brother move around on the sofa trying to get comfy. Eventually, she became so frustrated she pushed his shoulders towards the armrest and conjured a pillow. He lay back, swinging his legs so that he was filling the length of the sofa. She lay down next to him, settling her head on his chest over his heart. Soon, the steady beat of his heart sent her into a light sleep. Felix wrapped his arms around his sister in a comforting embrace. He couldn't tell whether she had done this to mollify him or herself, either way he felt satisfyingly calm, Imogen's regular breathing relaxing him. This was the best either of them had slept in months.

A little over an hour later, a dark-haired bespectacled man stumbled from the fireplace. Having not noticed the siblings snoozing on the sofa, he proceeded to sink into a chair opposite and rest his head in his hands.

"Is that you, Harry?" Ginny called, making her way from the kitchen at the sound of someone exiting the fireplace. She stopped short when she noticed Imogen and Felix entwined on the sofa, and felt her heart pang at the thought of their loss. But the expression on Harry's face made her feel a shot of panic. He strode towards her, crushing his lips against hers in pure need. Ginny felt overwhelmed by the passion radiating off him and felt her knees weaken. Harry pushed her into the wall, every inch of their bodies pressed together. His lips moulded to hers as he tried to express his love for his wife in a simple kiss. She could feel him everywhere, his hands on her cheek and at her waist, her own lost in his tangled hair. She felt him pick her up by the hips to take them both through to the kitchen, placing her on the table. The lion in his chest roared in approval as she wrapped her legs around his waist to pull them closer together. She brought her hands up to his face and caressed his cheek trying to calm him, worried by how frantic his touch seemed to be. She pulled away breathing hard. He met her eyes and she suddenly found herself clutching his sobbing form to her body, his hands crawled around her waist, his face buried in her neck, their bodies impossibly closer than before.

"Oh Harry," Ginny couldn't help but say rubbing her hands over his back, placing sweet kisses on his neck. He pulled her lips to his once again, but this time, he was gentle and caring.

"I love you, so much," He whispered resting his forehead against hers, relaxing in a comforting embrace, kissing her once again.

"Mum, do you know where the camera… Oh god, what are you doing?" Albus screamed, covering his eyes, running from the kitchen into the living room, waking Felix and Imogen in the process.

Ginny plucked herself from Harry's embrace, placing a last sweet kiss on his lips before jumping after Albus.

"What's going on?" Imogen muttered sleepily, not moving from her comfortable position.

"Albus, stop overreacting," Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

"Overreacting? You two were practically doing it on the kitchen table! I think I have a right to overreact." Albus shouted, his eyes wild with embarrassment.

"Merlin, Albus, how do you think we created you?" Ginny smirked at her middle son as horror struck his face.

"Ahh, why do you do this to me?" Albus wailed, running upstairs away from the bad mental images. Ginny heard his door slam a few seconds later.

Harry entered a moment later, his cheeks tinged pink, eyes bloodshot.

"What did you say to him?"

"No worries, Harry, dinner in half an hour kids," she changed the subject for Felix and Imogen, now sitting upright, reflecting on the scene they had just witnessed. Harry made his way to his office quickly before he was asked to help with dinner. When he entered his hide-out, he couldn't help but feel something was different. The book-lined wall opposite seemed the same, his desk just as messy as he had left it, the large window in front giving the same marvellous views of rolling hills and patchwork fields. Often when he was supposed to be working, he would just stare out of the glass and forget about everything, just watching the wind whistle through the trees and the birds fly through the sky. But there was definitely something wrong that he couldn't put his finger on, eventually he reasoned that Ginny had been cleaning in here. He started to pull documents out of his satchel so he could work out what could possibly have gone wrong with his day. He became lost in his work, and it was only when Ginny's voice called them all for dinner that he left his desk and made his way out of his office. Ginny called again, and Harry stopped outside James' door to hurry him up. When his knock was met with silence, he concluded that his eldest must have fallen asleep. Harry opened the door to find James asleep in the midst of parchment. Harry moved closer, getting the feeling that he knew why someone had been in his office.

"James, wake up" Harry shook him awake, and James jerked up, unsettling the nest of letters he had made around himself. The look of guilt on James' face was nothing compared to the look of anger on Harry's. Harry stalked out of the room wordlessly, trying to keep his anger in check, not wishing to lash out at his son. James caught up with him at the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm sorry, dad." James admitted quietly.

"What have I told you about taking things that aren't yours?" Finally turning around to look his son in the eye. James could feel the accusation burning into his head, but refused take it lying down.

"Don't do it?" He asked daringly.

"Damn it, James, this isn't a joke. You're not a kid anymore, you're seventeen, I should be able to trust you. Why did you take them?" Harry interrogated clenching his fists at his side, trying to stay rational. He could feel the pain of reading those letters for the first time himself seeping through his resolve.

"I was interested in what your father was like." James admitted, looking sheepish.

"Why couldn't you just ask if you could see them?" Harry challenged, subconsciously knowing the answer already.

"Because you get so uptight whenever anyone mentions anything about them!" James exclaimed, starting to get angry.

Harry pressed his lips together, struggling to hold in the retorts he was ready to say, but he couldn't hold it in any longer.

"You have no idea what a good life you've had James," Harry seethed, restraining himself from lashing out. "We've given you everything you ever wanted, it's nothing like how we grew up. I let you have the Invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map, isn't that enough? This is one of the only things I have left of my father. I would have shown you if you'd asked."

"No you wouldn't." James said so quietly he wasn't even sure himself he had said it.

"Sit down, dinner's ready" Ginny ordered, grabbing James elbow and pushed him into a seat. Felix, Imogen and Lily were already seated, sharing worried looks.

Silence fell over the table, so that all that could be heard was the scraping of knives and forks.

"This is delicious," Imogen smiled, trying to alleviate some of the tension.

"Thank you," Ginny replied, giving Harry a stern look.

Silence once again encompassed everyone in the room, but was suddenly disrupted when James jumped out of his chair, leaving his half-eaten plate of food on the table. They all heard his door slam a few moments later.

"Lots of door slamming today," Felix joked, which caused a grimace to cross Albus' face before he too left the table, a strangled cry escaping his lips. "And then there were four," he smirked, Imogen smacked her brother on the arm before digging into seconds of roasted vegetables with renewed vigour, apparently trying to eat to through the absence of the two boys.

Harry raised his eyebrows and followed his two sons upstairs.

"Oh for God's sake!" Ginny muttered, obviously displeased with her family's actions. "Will you three help me clear up, please?" Ginny asked, motioning to the platefuls of food still on the table. Lily immediately grabbed the empty dishes and escaped into the kitchen.

"Of course" Imogen mumbled, her mouth still full of food, accidentally spitting chunks out onto the table. Her face turned pink and she felt her brother shaking with laughter next to her. She threw a potato at him in retaliation, hitting him full in the face. Felix looked thunderous as gravy dripped down his face.

"Guys please" Ginny begged, hoping there wouldn't be a food fight in the middle of her dining room. Felix stalked away to the bathroom to clean up and Imogen looked guiltily at Ginny, picking up several plates at once to get started on the washing up.

"Daddy" Lily reverted back to being a child, as she opened the door slightly.

"I'm sorry if I scared you Lilybug, I didn't mean to get angry" Harry said tenderly, beckoning her over to him, folding up the letter he was reading and putting it on his desk.

"You didn't daddy, I'm sorry you're sad" climbing on her dad's knees and hugging her arms around his neck.

"I love you so much, " Harry said, wrapping his arms around his daughter.

After a few moments of Harry holding his daughter, trying very hard to not break down in tears, Lily asked "Can you tell me about your mother?"

"She was a lot like your mother and you, fiery, intelligent, quick-tempered. You know she hated my dad for years, she claimed he was an arrogant toe-rag, which I suppose was partly true, but somehow they ended up together, and they really loved each other. My dad was obsessed with her for years before she finally agreed to go out with her" Harry chuckled to himself.

"Do you remember them?" Lily asked, in an effort to get her father's mind off James.

"No" Harry replied, cringing outwardly with the lie he just told his daughter. He wasn't about to tell her about their murder. "I do have photos of them though" Harry looked in the top drawer of his desk and took out the photo album Hagrid had given him over 25 years ago.

"How did you and mum get together?" Lily questioned unrelentingly.

"Well, in my sixth year, I was Quidditch captain. And there was a teacher who really didn't like me, and he decided to give me detention at the same time as the Quidditch final. So I had to find someone else to player seeker, luckily your mother was on the team and had already played seeker before. When I returned to the common room after my detention, I found that Gryffindor had thrashed Slytherin. I saw your mother running towards me to give me a hug, I kissed her. We were together a few weeks before the headmaster died and then I had to break up with her."

"Why did you have to break up with her, daddy?"

"I had to go on a mission, a very dangerous mission, and I couldn't take her with me, and I thought that I was protecting her by breaking up with her. She didn't think so though, and I suppose it didn't make much of a difference anyway, she was still persecuted for being with me. She forgave me though, and then we all lived happily ever after" Harry smiled sweetly.

"That's a nice story" Lily smiled. "Umm.. daddy, could I possibly see one of the letters from your dad? If you don't mind?" Lily asked quietly.

"I suppose so, thank you for asking" Harry grinned, taking out the letter he had been reading when she walked in.

_My dearest Lilypad,_

_I miss you like the darkness of night misses the moon. It was only a matter of time really before you succumbed to my love for you._

_On a different note, it's Sirius' birthday next week and we were going to have a bit of a party for him. I was hoping you'd be able to come to the summer house on Saturday, I can pick you up if you'd like, I suppose your house isn't connected to the floo network. I know how much he appreciates you, even if he has a funny way of showing it, and I would love it if you could be there. You can stay for as long as you'd like after as well if your parents will let you._

_I love you,_

_James_

"Here's a picture, see you look just like her. Apparently there's a curse which says all the Potter boys marry redheads." His thoughts drifting to Imogen, wondering whether she would end up with one of his sons.


	3. III

She stared at her reflection trying to find some differences between her and her mother. She had the same auburn hair falling to her waist, the same wide set round hazel eyes and heart shaped face. It pained her to think that her father had to look at her every day and be reminded of her dead mother. She wished she could be like Teddy, who was able to change his appearance at will and usually sported bright blue hair, much to Victoire's annoyance. She stripped down to her underwear and admired her body, toned from all the Quidditch she played. She had no problem getting interest from boys; it was just keeping it after they had been scared away by Felix. Her brother knew exactly how to scare away her admirers; often resorting to public humiliation to ensure no others would attempt to pursue his sister. Felix cut an imposing figure with his broad shoulders and standing at six foot, he usually had a girlfriend, but as of two months ago, he had been single.

Starting to shiver from lack of clothing, she began to rummage through her trunk to find the denim shorts she was so accustomed to wearing to play Quidditch. As she was wriggling into them, the door banged open startling Imogen into a statue.

After a tense moment of James staring at her figure with wide eyes, he suddenly realised what he was doing, and placed his hands over his eyes.

She unfroze and slipped a loose t-shirt over her slim frame and said, "I'm dressed now James, you can look."

"Right, err…" James stuttered, unable to form any words. His mind was in overdrive. Especially with his eyes closed, he couldn't stop thinking of her without her top on, her bra simple and white but perfectly flattering, the subtle tan line a few inches below her belly button. The memory was imprinted in his brain. All he wanted to do was reach out and kiss her, feeling every inch of her body against his. Instead he said with his eyes still shut "Two on two Quidditch?" Not trusting himself to say anymore without making a fool of himself.

"Yeah, okay, I'll be down in a sec." Imogen said turning away to her dressing table. Running a brush through her hair before tying it up in a messy bun, she hadn't realised that James was still standing there now with his eyes open, apparently not noticing that he was staring.

"Your hair's pretty," James said instinctively moving a step closer, before realising what he had just said. His face turned pink and he practically sprinted out of the room.

He flung himself onto his bed, burying his face in his hands. He couldn't be having feelings for his best mates sister, Felix would kill him. He still remembered what had happened to Ezra Treinberg, in fact it had been his wand that charmed grass to grow all over his body. He knew he hadn't handled that very well, he should really think before he said stupid things like that. She would think he was a complete nutcase now. Or maybe she realised that she liked him back. No. There was no way Imogen would ever think that way about him. He resigned himself to acting like nothing had happened around her. He would be the way he had always been, not letting on that all he wanted to do was kiss her. Pulling himself off his bed, he dashed downstairs, forcing himself to think about Quidditch.

Imogen stood stunned. She was completely confused. Had James just said her hair was pretty? He wasn't acting like himself at all, though he had been subdued the past few weeks. She didn't look completely awful, did she? Doubt and insecurity spread through her like wildfire, bringing thoughts to the surface that she never knew existed. She knew she wasn't conventionally beautiful, but she had always thought that her mother was stunning, and if she looked like her mother, she couldn't be that bad. She did hate her hair though, it was unmanageable, and the curls wouldn't even be tamed with _Io's Instant Straightening Serum_ which was apparently the strongest out there. She was sure that she wasn't the first girl James had seen topless, and definitely not the biggest in the chest area, so she had no idea what to think. Deciding to put it out of her mind, she put a jumper on and headed outside for Quidditch.

"How's it going?" Ginny asked her husband, not sure if she wanted the answer. He looked stressed, his hair was in disarray from the amount of times he had run his fingers through it, and there were dark circles under his eyes. He had been coming to bed well after midnight and getting up before her in the morning so she had hardly seen him the past few weeks. "I brought you some tea, do you want a break?" She continued, not knowing if he could even hear her.

"Can't." He mumbled, putting his head in his hands. "Got too much to do," he said quietly.

"Come on," she insisted, "you need a break." Ginny pulled him up from his chair over to the loveseat. She draped him over herself, so that his head was resting on her chest.

"It's not your fault," Ginny assured, knowing what was plaguing him. He didn't say anything, which to Ginny meant that that was exactly what he was thinking. "You're trying to stop him, he's the one that's doing the killing," she said again, hoping to get through to him.

"The Norwegians aren't being very cooperative." Harry said, ready to vent on the matter. "They're saying that it's our problem and they don't want to get involved, which is completely ridiculous seeing as he's from their country and that's where it all started. I think he must already have complete control there. I don't know what to do anymore." He showed her the morning paper, the front-page headline blaring out at her.

_Brunsvold still at large_

_Karl Brunsvold, who comes from Bergen, Norway, is still eluding capture after his devastating attack on the muggle underground transport system "Tube" in London last week, killing hundreds of muggles, and wounding many more. Several arrests have been made, but have so far been inconclusive. He is known to have consorted with known Death Eater Rodolphus Lestrange before his death in June. Department of International Cooperation has stated that the Norwegian Ministry has been working closely with our Auror office to stop Brunsvold from continuing his path of destruction. Head Auror Harry Potter states, "We are doing all we can to find Brunsvold". The ministry advises that the magical community should be alert and cautious and if there is any sighting of him, to contact the auror office immediately._

Ginny sighed and flung the paper back onto the desk. "Drink up," she ordered, handing him his cup, an animated Harry Potter flying around the edges trying to catch a snitch. It was one of George's products, so it kept your drink at a constant temperature and randomly squirted its contents over anyone who was in close vicinity. Harry had not known the first time he had used it, so had ended up showering Albus in coffee, one of James' pranks which ended in him and Albus fighting. "You know, I think James has a thing for Imogen," Ginny said, distracting him from his depressive state.

"Where did you get that idea?" Harry inquired, having not noticed anything abnormal himself.

"Mother's intuition," Ginny smiled, "he's acting how you used to before we got together, you know, staring at her when he thinks no ones looking. Well it's understandable, she is a redhead" Ginny said knowingly, smirking at Harry, "we're irresistible."

"That you are," Harry murmured, whilst pulling her towards him. He buried his face in her neck reveling in her floral scent.

"I think you need to talk to him, Harry," She contended, not specifying the subject of discussion. "You know, about last night, and perhaps about Imogen too,"

"I think you could persuade me," Harry grinned, kissing her collarbone, knowing it wouldn't take much coming from her.

"Take your pick" James said, pointing at the rows of brooms attached to the walls amounting to about twenty. There were ancient Cleansweeps, the original Firebolt, nimbus 3000's, a comet 360, a couple of Swiftdarts and the all-new Lightning series. Imogen immediately picked up the Firebolt, it was the one she felt comfortable on, and though it wasn't the fastest out there, it had good balance and still outstripped the comet by a considerable amount. The Lightning tempted Felix but he knew that he wasn't always able to handle it, so instead went for a nimbus 3000. James, cocky as ever, gave into temptation and picked up the Lightning, which felt flighty in his hand, as though it would take off without him any second.

"Boys against girls?" James suggested, grinning cheekily, "Don't worry, we'll slow it down a bit for you."

"First one to a hundred wins" Lily suggested, a scowl crossing her features. Lily was definitely the most competitive of the Potter children, and that was really something when that included James. Most of all she hated comments about boys being better than girls, and for the most part managed to prove otherwise, and Imogen knew that if the girls didn't win, then she'd have a massive hissy fit.

"Heads or tails?" Felix asked, about to flip a galleon.

"Tails!" Lily shouted before anyone else could utter a word. It flipped high and landed on the ground heads side up.

"We start" James said still smirking. He kicked off the ground quickly and soared towards their goalposts, the quaffle tucked under his arm.

"Cheater!" Lily yelled, and raced after him, completely determined. He had already thrown the quaffle through the posts by the time she got there, but she managed to catch it underneath. She made a sharp turn and darted down to the opposite end of the pitch, she was going so fast that everything around her seemed a blur. Out of nowhere Felix appeared trying to knock her off her broom, or at least make her drop the quaffle. But Imogen appeared on her other side so she passed off to her, hoping that Imogen would have the sense to avoid her brother. Imogen shot off, changing direction so often that James had no chance of catching her, but Felix flew in from overhead so before he had a chance to intercept, Imogen passed off to Lily who was only a few meters to her right. Lily immediately soared towards the goals and got the quaffle straight through the centre hoop. James caught it as started to fall and immediately passed to Felix who flew so close to Imogen that she felt his arm brush hers.

They carried on neck and neck and when it was 90-90, James pulled a daring move and did a vertical dive to catch the quaffle that Lily had just put through one of the hoops. Once he had caught it he veered off in the direction of his goals. Lily flew head on towards him and when they were only a meter away from each other James pulled into a vertical ascent, he leveled out and immediately passed off to Felix. Imogen intercepted though and sped off not checking to see if she was being followed. James used the acceleration of the Lightning to catch up, flying under her. When he was just slightly ahead of her, he pulled up snatching the quaffle right out of her hands. Not understanding what had happened as it had all been so quick, Imogen turned too late and James was already at his end of the pitch. He tossed the quaffle threw the centre ring before either of the girls could do anything about it.

"WE WIN!" James shouted for the entire world to hear, Felix was in a similar state, whooping to the skies. He flew to where James was hovering and they high fived each other, identical grins on their faces. When they reached the ground, they hopped off their brooms and started a chant going "Lily the Loser" whilst Lily had steam coming out of her ears from her anger. She had started to stalk off towards the house when James turned his jeers up a notch.

"See Lily, boys always win! Girls are just too weak and slow to beat us!" James shouted. Lily, who had spent her life trying to prove she was as good as her brothers, felt her anger explode, and directed untamed magic at James. A look of horror crossed his face and he was thrown onto his back tentacles sprouting from his hands, seemingly unconscious.

"Merlin Lily, what have you done?" Imogen breathed, rushing over to check if he was okay. She leaned over his face and pointing her wand at him, she muttered "Rennervate". His eyes slowly opened, getting used to the brightness of the sun, Imogen's face obscuring his vision.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, inclining her head towards his, she was so close that he could smell her tantalising scent. James couldn't speak, his head was buzzing, his ears roaring with the sound of her sweet voice.

"Can you hear me, James?" Imogen moved closer, her hand resting on his reassuring heartbeat. The touch of her delicate hand made James inhale deeply, surrounding him with her scent. He closed his eyes, savouring the moment.

"Imogen, what the hell are you doing?" Felix questioned angrily, moving towards the stationary pair, pulling her off him. Lily was standing stock still a few feet away. She seemed unable to move, guilt-ridden. After regaining her senses, she ran to the house to fetch her mother, even though she knew she would be in for a severe scolding for hurting her brother. Ginny appeared a few minutes later, her wand clutched at her side. She transfigured his hands back to normal and helped to him to his feet. He was a little unsteady, balancing himself between his mother and Imogen. Imogen relished the feeling of his arm around her, holding on trustfully, and she held his waist, clutching him to her. When they reached the house, they deposited him on the sofa and Ginny went to fetch a potion to right him. Soon he was sleeping it off on the sofa.

"What do you think of this one?" Lily asked, holding up a dress to her torso. It was silver and covered with sequins, reaching mid thigh.

"Isn't it a bit short, dear?" Ginny advised, not wishing her daughter to bare so much skin at her 42nd birthday party. "It is only family after all."

"I'm not going to be related to everyone mum," Lily said disdainfully, "anyway, it's not that short." Ginny eyed it cautiously and vowed to make sure Lily didn't buy anything too revealing.

"Scorpius is going to be there, right?" Lily muttered in an undertone to Imogen, who was picking through the rack next to her. Imogen raised her eyebrows at this and chuckled under her breath.

"Reckon so, he and Rose are practically going out," Imogen replied, insinuating that Scorpius may not be the most suitable guy to like. Scorpius and Rose had practically been joined at the hip since he had been sorted into Gryffindor.

"Yeah, but they haven't got together yet, so he's fair game right?" she said, scowling at the implication that Rose had dibs on him.

"You're entering dangerous territory here, Lily. Rose is your cousin, don't do anything to jeopardise your relationship. Try and determine how he feels about you before throwing yourself at him, okay?" Imogen already knew that Rose had complicated feelings for Scorpius and had a bet going that they would be together before school started again. Lily glared at her, and proceeded to rifle through the rows of dresses trying to find something suitable.

"What about this one?" Lily held up a black strapless dress which was only slightly longer than the last one.

"I like the sweetheart neckline, those gold beads are really pretty," Imogen smiled, feeling the light chiffon fabric shimmer under her fingers. "You should try it on," Lily dashed off to the changing room before Ginny could veto it.

"I think I've found mine, what do you think?" Ginny held up an olive green v-neck dress, "too cliché?"

"I love it," Imogen grinned, "and only a little bit cliché" she added, laughing.

Lily stepped out of the changing room, smoothing down the chiffon skirt.

"Is that dragon hide?" Ginny asked Lily, examining the black, scaly bodice with tiny beads going around the edge. When Lily nodded, she smirked "think we could share?" Knowing this would infuriate her daughter.

"I think you could pull it off Ginny," Imogen laughed, "You do have great legs."

"Harry thinks so too," Ginny winked.

"Argh, you are so embarrassing!" Lily cried angrily.

"That's what mothers are for, sweetheart." Ginny laughed at how easy it was to get her daughter worked up.

"Here, you should try this on, it's gorgeous" Ginny suggested, pushing a Grecian-style white and gold empire-line dress into Imogen's hands.

"Ooh, I like it," Imogen rushed off to the changing rooms, Ginny not far behind. When Imogen emerged, she twirled around watching the gold strands flowing as though they were fire.

"Oh, jealous!" Lily gasped, "how come you got to that one first, want to swap?" grinning hopefully.

"Nope, not at all," Imogen grinned back.

"You done girls?" Ginny asked, holding her dress on a hanger, when the girls nodded, they proceeded to the till, identical looks of satisfaction on their faces.

A/N I have absolutely nothing against Norwegians, and actually have several lovely Norwegian friends. I've even been to Bergen, and even though it rains a lot, it's a beautiful city. Also, there's absolutely no link to Breivik, and any association is completely unintentional.


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